Fresh Air in the United States
posted: Jan 25, 12:02 AM
January always seems to be a month for reflection. Particularly this January with the inauguration of Barack Obama as president of the United States.
We watched his inauguration at my school in the gym. It was impressive to see so many junior high students excited about the events and, most particularly, the man. The student population in my school is diverse, but approximately 50% of the students are African Nova Scotian. They see different possibilities for themselves since Obama was elected as president of the United States, where before perhaps they didn’t.
It must be pretty amazing to be a young person of colour and witness history unfolding before your eyes. To see a man, with your skin colour, become the first black president of the United States. My students cheered and clapped when he took the presidential oath; they wanted to know if our prime minister was in Washington (sadly some of them didn’t know his name, it’s Stephen Harper, just in case you are wondering). They felt part of the experience.
I am excited about Barack Obama replacing George W. because I believe he has a vision of a world where all members have value. It is too early to know if he can fulfill his dreams and promises, but he has offered all of us hope. His inauguration speech was calculated to make it clear from the first moment he became President Obama that he was not cut from the same mold has his predecessor.
Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy are two Americans who were also visionaries. I am inspired by Barack and Michelle Obama, they have put their beliefs ahead of a peaceful, safe family life.